UPDATE 2-Canada says freeze on foreign workers is wake-up call

April 25 (Reuters) - The Canadian government said on Friday
companies should raise wages to encourage more Canadians to
apply for unfilled jobs, saying the freeze it imposed this week
on restaurants hiring temporary foreign workers is a wake-up
call for all employers.

The moratorium is on foreign hires in food-service
businesses only. It follows media reports that McDonald's Corp
restaurants turned away qualified Canadians while using
Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program to fill job openings.

Jason Kenney, the employment and social development
minister, said he was distressed that wages in Canada have
barely kept pace with inflation since the global economic
downturn.

"It's about raising wage rates. It's about increasing
salaries. It's about increasing investments in training," he
said at a news conference. "We expect to see employers not just
in that sector, but in every sector, doing better."

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program was designed to let
employers go outside the country for new hires when unable to
find locals to do the job.

"Our government has been clear," Kenney said in a statement
late Thursday in announcing the freeze. "Canadians must have the
first chance at available jobs."

He said the Conservative government is considering
unspecified reforms of the program to make sure employers
recruit and train Canadians for jobs.
Continued...